“Lorra does a screenprinting workshop.”
If you’ve been following my recent posts, you’d get the impression that I’m slightly switching gears and getting myself more into crafts. That’s why I’m really happy that there are groups like Craft MNL (aptly found in The Collective) that provide opportunities to learn making new things.
This new direction I’m on deserves its own post but I’m feeling a bit under the weather, so I’ll just leave you with some photos of and my thoughts on the screenprinting workshop I joined last Sunday. I was waiting for it for weeks since I signed up for one of the later dates. I couldn’t stop talking about it before and I’m still on a crafty high now.
I can really say that it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a while. The fiance, who was one of my classmates, even told me that I looked really happy during those 4-5 hours of making things with my hands.
The workshop was conducted by Andrei and Sheina of HOCUS (Craft MNL’s neighbor, literally) and I really appreciated how patient and supportive they were. They would check our screens if we were on the right track and answer all our questions.
SKIP THIS ENTIRE PART IF YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT THE PROCESS
The first part consisted of explaining the basics of screenprinting. We were asked to prepare our designs on tracing paper before the session but some of us also drew on the spot. We also had a bit of Q&A before we proceeded with transferring our tracing paper designs on to the screen.
Transferring the designs was done in steps. The first 2 steps were pre-made for us but if you were doing it by scratch, you’d have to prepare your screen (whether buy it or mount it yourself), place a thin coat of the screenprinting emulsion on your screen, wait for it to dry, and then transfer the design to the screen by giving it a good amount of light for approximately a minute and a half. The light can be from fluorescent lamps or even the sun! But if you’re using sunlight, be sure to expose your screen for only 7-8 seconds.
Once the design has been “burnt” onto your screen, use water to wash away the emulsion. You’ll only be able to wash away the parts that were blocked by the black parts of your design, revealing your finished screen. Ready for printing!
Use textile or acrylic paints, depending on the surface you’re printing on, to print your design. During printing, you’ll be doing 2 strokes: the flood coat and the actual printing stroke. That’s it! Just leave the paint to dry and you’re good to go.
Craft MNL just posted their June screenprinting schedules, as well as schedules for other workshops. Check them out here. I highly recommend them for anyone who’s looking to do something different and therapeutic. I’m thinking of joining the rubber block printing session. :)
For more photos and to see what my classmates made, check this album out.
